Family in the Darkness
by Gin no Kitsune
Summary: AU. Each of the major players need to learn a lesson in family. Some of them may need Mag to beat them over the head with it.


**Disclaimer:** ASOIF is owned by George R.R. Martin. Game of Thrones is owned by HBO. I own nothing.

 **The Storm Brothers**

-1-

Growing up, Robert and Stannis were not very close. The former was jovial and strong, every bit the personification of his favorite Warhammer. Stannis was quiet and wise beyond his years, showing all the signs of a battle tactician. Robert had been sent off to foster in the Vale of Arryn with Eddard Stark. Stannis had remained in Storm's End. There was only a year between them; those in the Stormlands claimed that the single year made the boys a world apart.

Never was this more evident than when the two boys visited their father in King's Landing. Even at the young age of six, Robert loudly proclaimed that he was going to be the strongest warrior in the Seven Kingdoms straight to Aerys' face. Thankfully, the madness had not yet set in and the Dragon King simply laughed. Stannis, meanwhile, was busy observing every part of the Red Keep. He never spoke a word while in the city. But as they left the capital, he simply remarked to his brother:

"If you ever want to fight the people in that city, I know how to conquer it."

-2-

Stannis had disliked Eddard Stark for years. For every letter that Robert sent him from the Eyrie, his hatred for the Quiet Wolf grew. The servants of Storm's End knew that if Stannis was angry, it was due to a letter from his brother. They learned to avoid him whenever he started muttering about the "stupid, bloody, brother-stealing northern savage." This all changed with one fateful letter.

 _Stern Stannis,_

 _It finally happened. My mistakes caught up to me. There was a serving girl named Joanna. This is normally the place where I would describe her to you, but it is pointless. She gave birth to a girl a few days past. She named her Mya. I was ready to just leave her be, but Ned knocked some sense into me. I can't leave her like this. I'm going to care for her for a few moons and then I am coming home._

 _Jon has already stated that Ned and I are ready to go off into the world. Our time for fostering is over, he says. Even if he did not make such a comment, I know now what I have to do._

 _I know my betrothed, Lyanna, will hate me if I ever abandon a child. So I am coming home. Give mother and father the news._

 _Your Brother,_

 _Robert_

The first thing that stuck out to Stannis was _brother_. In all of their four and ten years knowing each other, Stannis had never heard Robert call him that. That word was the entire reason that he hated Eddard Stark of Winterfell. And suddenly, it was a baby and the Wolf himself that convinced Robert to call Stannis his _brother_.

Then, Stannis felt ashamed. Eddard had never asked Robert to be his brother. He had two of those himself. He had been quietly hating a boy he had never met who was stuck in an unknown land simply due to politics. Just as Stannis missed Robert (as much as he hated to admit), Eddard had siblings of his own that missed him. For all he knew, the boy could be a saint and Stannis had blamed him for stealing a brother he had never gotten along with. _Until Now._ So a thought came to his mind. Whether the Stark knew it or not, Stannis owed him a debt for that one word.

 _Lannisters are not the only ones who pay their debts. I will repay Eddard for this_.

-3-

When Robert arrived to the castle with a baby girl in his hands, the whole castle was already in the process of a celebration. He had expected some level of fanfare with the heir returning home, but certainly not this much for one that had dishonored the family.

As he entered the great hall, he heard sounds of music, laughter, and joy. And then he was blown away by a loud voice he heard.

"…let the whole world know that only a brother can make Stern Stannis smile!"

 _Stannis? Joyful? For…me?_

Robert had spent his childhood with Stannis but the past few years with Ned Stark. He considered both his brothers but was much closer to the second son of Winter rather than the second son of Storm. It was not that he hated Stannis, he simply did not understand how one could be so serious all the time. Especially at the age that he had left Stannis to go to the Vale.

Stannis had no interest sparring with Robert, or at least not to the degree that Ned did. While both boys were focused on honor, Ned found happiness in the smallest of places. Stannis never seemed to smile. Even when they visited Father in the capital, Stannis was simply quiet and _stern_. It was around that visit that Robert had given his brother that title.

While in the Vale, he made sure to write to the brother of his blood. He detailed in them the adventures he had with the brother of his heart. While he may not have loved Stannis, he knew the importance of family. Mother had taught him that much. His foster father reinforced the lesson. Robert had learned a great deal from Jon Arryn and would always consider him more a father than his own. Steffon Baratheon certainly loved his family, but he simply was not present for them.

Eddard Stark had wormed his way into Robert's heart. At first, he was put out that he had found another stern boy to grow up with. But as the Wolf said: "You find your true friends on the battlefield." Robert talked big game about his combat skills. But when it came time to make his first kill, he had frozen. Rob and Ned had been riding near the Bloody Gate when they were set upon by bandits. Robert had done what he had practiced for years. He jumped off his horse and stabbed down. When the blood spurted upon his face he froze. The shock of killing his first man had shaken him to the core. So much, in fact, that he failed to notice another bandit behind him.

Only when he heard the body hit the ground was he shaken enough to turn around. Ned simply stated:

"You would have done the same." The two boys then proceeded to throw up the contents of their previous meal. It was on the ride back to the Gate that the two boys became brothers. Though they had different blood in their veins, they spilt their first blood with one another against those bandits. That bond would never be broken.

The music broke him out of his contemplation. He put a smile on his face and entered the hall to present Stannis with his niece and see the smile his brother had for him. As he stepped in the hall, some servant announced:

"Lord Robert of House Baratheon, heir to the Storm Lands, has arrived with a child!"

Suddenly, the hall fell silent and Robert cast his gaze upon the head table where his father, brother, mother, and assorted family sat. Once he glanced upon his mother, he finally realized the reason for the festivities was not him, or his beloved Mya, but in fact for the bundle in his mother's arms.

"Here comes the greatest embarrassment to the Stormlands! Come at last with the bastard to greet his trueborn brother!" proclaimed Eldon Estermont, Robert's uncle.

In the next moment, many things happened at once. Robert barely registered a servant girl taking Mya from his hands, dashing to the head table, and pulling back his fist. But he did register the event that made him stop. Stannis had literally beaten him to the punch.

"Shut. The. _Fuck_. Up. I do not care that you are my uncle. Insult my brother and niece again, and I'll strike you again, this time with a blade."

Rob had never seen such anger in his brother's eyes. He seemed the personification of both their ancestors: Durran Godsgrief and Orys Baratheon. At some point during his observation, Robert's hand had fallen limp to his side. Eldon may have held his face with one hand but he still had the gall to respond to Stannis.

"You'll pay for that, _boy_. You are worthless. You are simply a second son to a house that has two others. Seems fitting though. That babe in your mother's arms may turn out just as much a stain on this _noble_ house as his two older brothers. I always knew it was a mistake to send Cassana here!" the heir to House Estermont yelled.

Then Robert heard something that he had almost forgotten. Absolute steel from his father, Steffon.

"Get out. Never step foot into these halls again, or I'll kill you myself." Robert was astounded. He thought he had seen all of his father but as he looked upon the Lord Paramount of the Stormlands, he remembered that this was the man who had fought in the War of the Ninepenny Kings. He held his own father as he died from wounds given by the last Blackfyre pretender. Most importantly, this man was of the Blood of the Conqueror. All of that well known strength was pointed at Eldon.

But the Estermont heir still refused to see reason.

"Father," he started, but then he stopped. He noticed the same look of anger on the face of the old Lord Estermont. It was Robert's mother, however, that ended this conversation.

"You have insulted all three of my sons, my granddaughter, and my house. You are no brother of mine. Get _out_." For the Young Stag, this was even more jarring than his father's steel. Cassana Baratheon was a sweet woman who loved her children. Never had she shown such rage.

Eldon finally realized the position he was in and stumbled out of his seat. When he glanced once more at Cassana, he literally turned and fled.

"I apologize Lord Baratheon, but let me escort that foolish child back to Greenstone. I no longer wish to impose upon your hospitality," stated Lord Arthur Estermont. With a look of pain directed at his daughter, he rushed out of the great hall.

"Come now Rob, show me my granddaughter!" exclaimed his mother.

-4-

It was later that evening that Robert had a chance to speak to Stannis. He had just placed sweet Mya in the nursery with Renly and he was determined to question his stern brother about the earlier outburst.

He found Stannis in his room, staring out at the waves. It was a rare calm night at Storm's End, one that everyone in the castle knew to cherish.

"Your letter. You called me brother," Stannis stated without turning around. "The answer to your inevitable question about my earlier anger."

"How did you know it was me?" Robert replied, astounded. "And was it really that one word Stannis?"

It was only at his name that the younger brother turned around. He had a look of curiosity on his face, which seemed even more out of place than anger.

"Your footsteps. They are louder than anyone else in the castle. I've memorized the sounds of the castle. Before I answer your second question, answer me this: why did you call be 'brother' in that letter? You haven't done that in years," inquired Stannis.

Robert was surprised at how observant his brother was. But in reality, he knew that Stannis was always much smarter than he. Rather than respond with a quip, he knew this was his chance to tell the truth.

"Well, it was a lesson I learned from…well let's just say an old man. We have mothers dying giving birth, children dying upon birth, soldiers dying in war, and everyone dying of disease. We all need to hold on to those we call dear."

For Robert, the lesson had been gnawing at him since the meeting with that old man. When he and Ned had told the wise man their life stories, both had been admonished for their familial relations. At first he had dismissed the lesson. _What sort of name was Mag anyways?_ But as he thought deeper on his past, he realized his mistakes. Ned had certainly taken the lesson to heart—it was the basis of his admonishment of Robert over Mya. Now, Robert could not imagine life without his bundle of joy. Even if she was messy.

So the Young Stag was willing to make amends with the Stern Stag. The show in the main hall only solidified that.

"I…to answer your second question, Ours is the Fury. I was defending my family. No one threatens a child of House Baratheon and gets away with it. And as to your lesson…" Stannis stopped. He was simply lost on what to say or do next. Thankfully, Robert answered that dilemma for him.

"Can you forgive me Stannis? I have been a terrible brother. But you and little Renly deserve someone better."

Neither brother ever spoke about the ensuing tearful hug ever again. Certainly, it didn't match with their public personas.

-5-

The conversation had really affected both elder Baratheon brothers. So when the _Windproud_ crashed upon the rocks of Storm's End a few moons later, the two brothers simply held each other tightly; each with a child in hand.


End file.
